Like Gravity(46)

“I helped Ty paint his bedroom last month and, shockingly, I didn’t f*ck him after,” he growled menacingly. His eyes, which had been filled with warmth only seconds ago, were now flinty with anger. “And no, I’m not your boyfriend. But last time I checked, I was your friend. Friends help each other out – especially when one friend doesn’t know her ass from her elbow when it comes to painting.”

“Okay,” I agreed, casting a caustically acquiescent smile up at him. “You can help.”

“You are the most infuria–“ he broke off and took another calming inhale. It seemed he had to do this at near-constant intervals when he was around me. “I don’t know why I bother,” he muttered.

“Because of my sparkling personality?” I asked, laughing a little at his blatant frustration with me.

“Somehow, I don’t think that’s it,” he said dubiously. “I’ll be at your house by two.”

I nodded in acceptance. He was right – I didn’t know my ass from my elbow when it came to home improvement. I could use all the help I could get.

“What are you doing here anyway?” I asked, glancing around the near-empty parking lot. His bike was parked a few spaces down from Lexi’s car.

“I was headed to the diner,” he said with a nod in the direction of Maria’s, the tiny breakfast place that abutted Andler’s and hadn’t been redecorated since the early 1970s. The retro feel gave the restaurant character, though, and it was a popular venue for hungover coeds after a long night of partying. Their pumpkin pancakes were legendary during the fall season.

My stomach rumbled at the thought and, with a final longing look cast at the restaurant, I glanced back at Finn. If he weren’t there, I would have happily treated myself to a short stack, smothered in whipped cream and syrup. As it was, I’d have cut off my left foot before going in there now and eating with him in front of half of the student body. If I did, I might as well paint a sign across my ass that read “FINN CHAMBERS TAPPED THIS LAST NIGHT,” given all the gossip our morning appearance together would prompt.

If we were going to get involved, I wanted a signed contract – possibly in blood – stating that no one would find out about us. My reputation was tarnished enough without adding a tryst with Finn to the list.

His lips twitched in amusement as he evaluated me.

“Don’t suppose you want to get pancakes with me?” he asked, a knowing smile playing out across his face.

“No!” I blurted, my fast response a dead giveaway of my horror at the suggestion of such a date-like activity. “I mean, I have errands to run,” I muttered, more subdued.

“Right,” he said, lips curled up in a sexy dark smirk. I wanted to pounce on him and punch him at the same time. He was fully aware of the effect he had on me. He was tying me up in knots – and he was enjoying it, the smug bastard. “I’ll just go enjoy my pancakes alone, then. See you in a few hours.” He winked, then turned and walked into Maria’s, leaving me hungry for more than just breakfast. I slumped back against Lexi’s car, drained from the interaction.

Crap.

I shakily loaded the paint cans into the trunk and got behind the wheel. Taking a steadying breath, I determined not to let Finn get under my skin. Maybe I’d let him under my panties later, though.

Damn, I’m such a slut.

I felt like an emotional yo-yo, rejecting Finn one minute and kissing him the next. I wanted to slap some sense into myself. Instead, I did what I did best and pushed the thoughts from my mind. Starting the engine, I pulled onto Main Street and headed across town to the grocery store. I had to pick up some things to make dinners for the week, refill my birth control prescription at the pharmacy, and make it back to the photo store to pick up my prints all before Finn got to my apartment at two.

A glance at the clock on the dashboard informed me that it was already past noon. I stepped on the gas pedal, speeding Lexi’s car through several yellow lights in my haste. I did not want him to beat me to the house. Something told me that having Finn Chambers unsupervised in my bedroom wasn’t a good idea.

***

I was steering my cart down the aisle of the grocery store, gathering items for the week, when my cellphone rang.

“Hello?”

The only answer I received was in the form of heavy, disturbing breathing.

“Stop. Calling. Me.” I growled into the phone. “Is this Gordon?”

More breathing.

“I don’t know who the hell this is, but if you keep doing this I will call the police. Got it, sicko?”

The breathing stopped for a minute and I thought the line had gone dead, but a quick glance at the screen showed it was still connected. Just before I hung up, I heard what sounded like faint laughter from the other line.

It wasn’t the gleeful laughter of a twelve year-old prankster with nothing better to do for amusement; it was a sinister laugh, menacing and full of dark promise. The laugh of a man I didn’t know and definitely did not want to know.

I disconnected the call and stood frozen in the middle of the grocery store. This was the second call I’d received. Then there was the deadly flower arrangement that had been delivered to my room. Could they be connected? Who wanted to scare me this much? It could be Gordon, but I doubted he would take things this far. And he probably didn’t possess enough brainpower to break into my apartment without leaving any traces behind.